Brush fire engulfs 100 acres

Stratton Road homes, businesses evacuated; no injuries reported

Cpl. Karen Brady with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office blocks U.S. 1 about a mile north of Palencia as a 100-acre brush fire threatens the area just north of there on Wednesday afternoon. By DARON DEAN, daron.dean@staugustine.com

The surging black smoke rising over U.S. 1 north of International Golf Parkway could be seen as far as St. Augustine South on Wednesday afternoon as numerous fire rescue and law enforcement agencies battled the flames of a more than 100-acre brush fire.

The brush fire grew from about 15 acres to more than 100 acres in less than an hour's time, said Jeremy Robshaw, public information officer with St. Johns County Fire Rescue. Multiple homes and businesses off Stratton Road, including the St. Johns County Pet Center, were evacuated by SJCFR personnel in the afternoon.

Flames burned the wooded area all around the pet center, which caused enough smoke to block out any visibility for drivers along Stratton Road

"The pet center is in great shape," said Division of Forestry Senior Forester Greg Dunn. "The building wasn't harmed, and all the animals are OK."

"There was a very aggressive fire heading that way, so we had to move all personnel quickly," Robshaw said. "However, trucks were placed around the facility to protect the structure and the animals."

One couple living in a rural area of Stratton Road was almost airlifted out of the flames that blocked fire engines from getting to their home, Robshaw said. However, firefighters were able to contain the fire in the area and get the people to safety without any problems, he added.

There were no injuries reported, Robshaw said. Out of the nine commercial buildings and homes in the area, two sheds caught fire and one mobile home suffered minor heat damage on its outside siding, Dunn said.

Most of the blaze was contained to the woods on the west side of U.S. 1. However, some flames jumped the roadway and started fires on the east side. Officials had about half the flames contained by Thursday night, Dunn said.

Helicopter units from Flagler County and Division of Forestry assisted by dropping bucket loads of water onto the flames. St. Johns County Sheriff's Office and SJCFR helicopters were also in the air surveying the size of the fire.

Nearly 40 county firefighters were on scene; Division of Forestry had nine tractor units cut lines around the fire.

U.S. 1 from the intersection of International Golf Parkway to County Road 210 closed around 3 p.m. Wednesday while firefighters struggled with the oncoming flames. The road reopened around 8 p.m.

People who were evacuated were able to return to their homes after 7 p.m., Robshaw said.

Residents living in the La Calinas neighborhood on U.S. 1 North just south of the fire gathered alongside the roadway in folding chairs and golf carts to watch the action first hand during the afternoon.

The large puffs of dark smoke billowed over the roadway, changing direction every few minutes as gusts of wind came from both the eastern sea breeze and inland from the west.

"The wind is always a worry when you have smoldering embers," Dunn said. "The trouble with this one was that the winds kept switching from the west to the east."

Dunn said the rain expected for Friday could improve the smoldering conditions ... but also could create more of a problem. The rain will bring higher humidity, which could cause fog to mix with the smoke and make for dangerous driving conditions, he said.

High winds also could continue to blow embers across fire lines, causing flames to rekindle.

"This is going to be a smoking nightmare for a while," Dunn said. "People need to be extra careful while driving in this area and take their time; They should be astute to how bad it's going to get."

The St. Johns County Pet Center will be closed to the public today. However, staff will be on site to answer calls. Fire rescue and DOF personnel were on site Thursday night and into Friday morning.

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